> > > > > India, to my knowledge, is unique in having the combination of the below: > > 1. Having a huge assortment of languages and dialects native to the > country, such that the need for link languages exists. > 2. A large population whose only education has been in a language > other than the "mother" tongue - in this case, in English. > > In fact, I'd make a distinction between mother tongue (being defined > as the language that your family historically spoke) and native tongue > (being defined as the language you usually think in). My native tongue > is English.
Add, in many cases, the regional tongue, which may be different from the "mother" and the "native". What strange monsters we can be!
